Imeliæ, the Shadow of Hope
by IcaWolf
Summary: I wrote this before Abhorsen came out, and I've changed some things since then so I have to update it, but r/r anyway


Disclaimer- the whole idea of abhorsens and Free Magic and the palace and especially the Disreputable Dog belong to Garth Nix, but the Imeliæ and the story belong to me.  
  
Author's Note- ok. So, this picks up in the middle of a scene which I didn't feel like writing so…too bad. The story here is that five years after the restoration of king Touchstone I Sabriel killed this evil Free Magic Necromancer called the Shadow of Darkness. However, the necromancer's wife and baby son escaped. The poor woman brought up the baby the only way she knew how: she taught him Free Magic and the forbidden art of necromancy. However, she also taught him to be good and not evil. I guess she hoped he'd turn into a type of abhorsen, I don't know. Anyways, when Ellimere became queen, I have no idea when that is, she falls in love with the evil necromancer's son, who is now grown and calling himself the Shadown of Light, because he is a good necromancer. However, he is still a Free Magic sorcerer. Ellimere marries him anyways, though, and he sort of takes on the same role as the abhorsen (hopefully his mother is proud) except he fights the dead with Free Magic (fight fire with fire kind of thing). He and Ellimere have a son who grows up to be King AND the next Shadow of Light. He marries a poor but extremely powerful Charter Mage and that is how Imeliæ the first Shadow of Hope is born. What's neat about her is that she is a necromancer (or a necromancer in training) who is being taught to combine the powers of Free Magic and the Charter. In this next scene, she and her best friend Taraesh (Lirael's granddaughter and the Abhorsen-in-Waiting) are both fourteen. Ica is a free magic creature bound by Saraneth (the sixth bell, called the Binder) to all the Shadows will (basically, the same thing as Mogget, but she's a white wolf and she doesn't sleep as much)  
  
Got all that? ( I know, it's a lot, but this next scene just jumps right in, so you have to know. And remember, I wrote this before Abhorsen, the third book, was published, so if anybody's still reading it after Abhorsen comes out, remember that I didn't know anything because I'd only read as far as Lirael. And now, on to the story!  
  
  
  
Tense silence met these words. Taraesh was regarding Ica rather fearfully as Imeliæ stared off into space.  
  
"So," the Dog said, finally. "Are you two going to duel or not?" Imeliæ and Taraesh looked at each other, an identical, slow grin spreading across their features.  
  
"Well?" Imeliæ said, cocking an eyebrow.  
  
"Let's do it." Said Traesh, standing up. They walked into the castle, up the stairs and then split in opposite directions, each pair heading towards their respective quarters.  
  
* * *  
  
"What sword should I get?" Taraesh asked the Dog as they hurried down the passageway leading to the guest chambers. The Abhorsen-in-Waiting owned four: an ordinary, unspelled dagger, a plain longsword, a charter-spelled shortsword and a very powerful spelled longsword.  
  
"The shortsword, I should think," said the Dog as Taraesh pushed open the door of her small room.  
  
"Are you sure Imeliæ will take a spelled sword?" she asked as she took the blade down from the stand where she kept it. She watched as the charter marks swarming on the hilt flared up at her touch.  
  
"Quite sure."  
  
* * *  
  
Imeliæ also owned four swords. She surveyed them, wondering which she ought to use. She had one unspelled, nondescript sword, a long charter- spelled blade, a black dagger imbued with Free Magic, and a long, crooked sword, also of Free Magic, whose blade showed flames dancing on the cool, biting metal.  
  
"Which one…?" Imeliæ muttered. Ica answered,  
  
"A spelled blade, definitely. The Dog would expect and prepare for it. And for this particular duel…" she hesitated, then pushed forward, touching one of the hanging swords with her nose. "The dagger."  
  
Imeliæ stepped forward and took it off the peg. It was heavier than it looked, and as long as her forearm. She could feel the power it held from just holding it, balanced in her hand. Ica scratched her leg with a paw, then turned, heading out of the door and down the stone steps descending from Imeliæ's room. The Future Shadow followed without a word.  
  
* * *  
  
The two girls faced each other, assuming the defensive position.  
  
"Ready?" Taraesh called. A wind had sprung up, and it tore her words away, but Imeliæ had understood. She nodded, smiling happily. She was looking forward to this. She had been hoping to test her skills against Taraesh for some time now, and knew the experience would be exhilarating and challenging. She checked the protective spell she'd placed around herself once again, insuring that Taraesh could never really hurt her. She knew her friend had done the same.  
  
Taraesh began advancing, whisking her head to keep her hair out of her face. At the same time she reached down into the charter, pulling out the marks she needed, marks of force and power. But Imeliæ was also preparing herself. She began drawing marks in the air with her free hand, since she couldn't work charter magic with a Free Magic blade. She drew signs of confusion, of blindness and vertigo. She shouted their names, sending them towards her opponent at the same moment as Taraesh's marks burst from the end of her sword. The spells hit each other and rebounded, causing both duelers to duck. They stood back up, grinning at each other, and began once more to advance. Taraesh began reaching into the endless flow of the charter again, but this time Imeliæ turned to Free Magic. The familiar bitter yet excitingly tangy taste of pure, unrestrained power filled her mouth as she spoke the words that would propel her toward her opponent faster. Her sword fell and rebounded as it met Taraesh's protective shield. She had momentarily let the charter marks she had been forming slip out of her mind, surprised by the sudden onslaught. She smelled the disgusting reek of Free Magic and saw smoke coming out of Imeliæ's mouth and realized what her friend must have done. Jumping around, she once more began tracing the marks in the air with new determination. She shouted their names just as Imeliæ dove at her once more,  
  
"Anet! Calew! Ferhan!" The spells hit Imeliæ together, bowling her over backwards. Inexplicable anger rose up in her, making her growl dangerously. She leaped up just as Taraesh came rushing forward, sword raised high. The image of the girl filled her whole vision, and Imeliæ thought only one thing: she must kill the Enemy. The Enemy who threatened her life. Imeliæ seemed to grow in height, towering over Taraesh. Opening her mouth, she spewed forth a wave of white hot flames, engulfing the small girl with the sword.  
  
On the sidelines, the Dog and Ica leapt up, Ica cursing silently to herself. Imeliæ should not have used that spell. It was very dangerous. She and the Dog began to bark, trying to stop the huge being that was barely recognizable as Imeliæ.  
  
Taraesh watched in shock as the white flames surrounded her, nearly choking her with the acid scent of Free Magic. The terrible flames flickered for a few minutes, unable to penetrate Taraesh's shield. Then they disappeared. But rushing to meet her, Taraesh saw a huge creature that vaguely resembled Imeliæ, though it had grown many times greater in height, and seemed to be burning with a strange white light. Smoke poured from its mouth, and its red eyes flashed and danced with fire. Taraesh suddenly began to feel afraid. The thing struck her, the dagger bouncing off her shield, but she could feel the spell weakening, knew it would not last for long. Taraesh felt for her sword, but realized she had dropped it when the flames has engulfed her. Desperately she tried to trace another charter mark of protection as the thing—for it surely couldn't be Imeliæ—struck again, with greater force. But Taraesh couldn't concentrate, couldn't hold the marks in her mind. Suddenly, the creature struck again, and this time she felt the protective shield around her shatter. Horrified, she gazed up as the gigantic thing raised its dagger.  
  
Imeliæ raised her dagger, triumphant. She had done it, she would kill this puny threat, who had dared to challenge her. It would be gone, and she would have killed it. An insane smile spread across her distorted features as she prepared to give the final, killing blow—  
  
"Imeliæ!" Imeliæ's leg buckled as she felt sharp pinpricks dig into her leg. She looked down furiously and saw Ica, teeth bared, growing larger by the moment. "Imeliæ, come back right now." Imeliæ blinked, looking from the tiny white animal who had spoken, to the shivering human girl, lying at her feet. And then she realized. Realized who it was shivering on the ground, and what had almost happened.  
  
Imeliæ shrunk back to her normal height and form almost immediately. Throwing the dagger to one side, she took off, dashing up the stairs, tears streaming from her eyes. Slamming her door, she collapsed on her bed, sobbing hysterically. She carried on in this fashion for some time before realizing that Ica was waiting patiently by her side.  
  
"Ica," she whispered, sitting up and placing a hand on the white wolf's back. "Ica, did you see that? I almost killed her, Ica! I almost killed my best friend." She dissolved into tears again as Ica licked her hand.  
  
"I saw." She said quietly. "The Free Magic consumed you. You could not restrain it properly, it took control,"  
  
"Ica, I became a monster!" Imeliæ cried, raising her head again. "A monster that nearly—"  
  
"It was my fault," Ica said, disgusted with herself. "I shouldn't have suggested you use a Free Magic blade, I shouldn't have suggested you use Free Magic. You're too young, you haven't had enough practice…" she stopped, staring off past Imeliæ's shoulder.  
  
"Ica," Imeliæ whispered after a few minutes. "How can I ever face Taraesh again? She must hate me now, how can I ever…" she began to cry again, the sobs racking her tired body. Ica placed a paw in Imeliæ's arm.  
  
"Just allow some time," she said. "Time heals many things." She licked Imeliæ's cheek, muttered, "Sleep, now, Imeliæ. The morning will bring Light." And in a few seconds the girl was asleep. 


End file.
